Is your cupboard full of old shoes that you don’t know what to do with? Perhaps you’ve been on a shoe shopping spree and you need the space back though? Rather than dump them in the trash, you can actually do some good by being part of a shoe drive.
What is a Shoe Drive?
- Collect old shoes
- Work with a partner
- Donate shoes to micro-entrepreneurs
- Different types of shoe drive
Collect Old Shoes
The ultimate goal of a shoe drive is to collect old shoes in exchange for money. In order to achieve this, an event is hosted where people bring their old shoes. Collection points are also often organized so that people can drive to those points in their own time. This is particularly useful for busy people and it allows you to make sure you collect the most shoes possible.
Work with a Partner
Once you have all your shoes then you simply exchange them for money. There are many companies out there, including for example Angel Bins, that will give you a dollar per pound of shoes. To give you an idea, a pound is roughly equivalent to 2 pairs of shoes. Your decision though lies in which partner you want to work with. Something you might want to consider is whether they’ll come and pick up your collection of shoes directly or if you’ll have to drive them to their location.
Donate
Each company you work with will have a slightly different approach. Nevertheless, the general idea is that your old shoes are donated to micro-entrepreneurs in places such as Africa and South America. These micro-business owners then sell your second-hand shoes to their communities. Overall, this helps people help themselves whilst also providing access to shoes.
Different Types
Depending on your goals, you might decide to focus solely on a sneaker shoe drive. This might be helpful for example if you’re raising funds for your local sports youth center. You can therefore build a theme around sport and encourage everyone to donate their sneakers. Alternatively, you can simply have a mixed shoe drive. Having said that, most companies don’t accept high heeled shoes. This is partly because they’re not usually in demand in emerging countries because of the uneven roads and lack of sidewalks.
How A Shoe Drive Benefits a Local Team
A shoe drive isn’t just about money although clearly fundraising is a big part of it. There are many more advantages as you can see from the list below.
- Community spirit
- Develop skills
- Environmental support
- Low cost
- Networking
- Altruistic fun
Community spirit
There’s something to be said about organizing an event to bring people together. You can also include drinks stands or even snack bars, depending on how big an event you want. Whilst there are logistics involved, it can also help you attract more people.
Let’s also not forget that you should also get your friends and other volunteers involved. Putting together a shoe drive is a fun project that also helps you get to know many more people.
Develop skills
Getting involved in a shoe drive helps you develop your project management and communication skills. This is because you’ll have to make sure that the logistics are all planned as well as reaching out to people. A great place to start is social media but you can also connect with your local newspaper or community figures. Perhaps they can promote your shoe drive on their blog or Instagram page for example?
Environmental support
A shoe drive helps raise money locally as well as support people across the world. Furthermore, you’re saving shoes from landfills for just that bit longer. Perhaps you could also suggest to your shoe drive partner about helping micro-entrepreneurs then recycle them?
Low cost
It’s worth noting that a shoe drive doesn’t involve much cost. This is unless of course, you want to organize food and drink at your event. Nevertheless, a simple shoe drive is also great fun because it’s about getting people together. You’ll need some bin bags and perhaps some wheelie bins but these are all relatively low cost. Then again, your local companies might be willing to donate them to you. After all, it’s for a great cause.
Altruistic fun
Altruism has been proven to make us happier. This is because it helps us forget ourselves for a short while, including our worries and problems. Furthermore, engaging and connecting with people makes a huge impact on our overall well being. We are social beings and we need to feel involved and that we’re contributing. What better way to do that than through a shoe drive?
Final Thoughts on the Benefits of a Shoe Drive
A shoe drive is a fun project to run. Moreover, your community will thank you and you’ll end up meeting new people along the way. So, get collecting and have fun!
